


A Wonderful Mess

by reeei



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Het Relationship, Cargument, Complete, Humor, Implied Sexual Content, Light Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Pre-Slash, Swearing, mentions of canon characters deaths, minor character injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-25
Updated: 2014-05-20
Packaged: 2018-01-20 18:02:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1520090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reeei/pseuds/reeei
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve wears his flaws upon his sleeves; Danny buries them deep beneath the ground. But they both choose to hide their feelings for each other, until one day they slip. Should they dig those feelings up? Or should they pretend that nothing has been touched?</p><p> </p><p>  <em>"There's a hole in my soul. I can't fill it. Can you fill it?"</em></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Buried Them Deep

**Author's Note:**

> Fic title and chapter titles come from the song that fits all pairings, _Flaws_ by Bastille. Some lines in the fic were also inspired by the song.  
>  This fic didn’t start out to be so close to the song, but [my own graphics](http://liiiiiiing.tumblr.com/post/84723904800/) made me turned it into one, what can I do but to follow my mind?
> 
> Thanks to my Captain torchwood1701 for my usual grammar problems and encouragements <3 
> 
> **Setting** : Parallel to season 4. Because of reasons, this is a canon divergence AU where Lori stays and Cath isn’t gonna leave because of whatever that’s gonna happen later in season 4.
> 
>  **Spoilers** : minor Lori related stuff in season 2. Danny’s dating history through out season 3 and 4, what Steve says about them, and the people Steve has lost in season 3 and 4.
> 
> If you'd like to know what's going on with "minor character injuries", please see end notes.

"You know Lori has a thing for you, right?" Danny asks out of the blue.

"Huh?" Steve dumbly replies and drums his fingers on the steering wheel at the red light.

They just wrap up a case and the gang is going to some restaurant Kono loves to celebrate. Danny sincerely hopes there is no pineapple involved in any dish.

"Don’t act like you haven’t notice. I know you do." Danny rolls his eyes. 

"You mean…" Steve pauses for a minute and exhales, "Yeah, I know. But what can I do about it? Nothing. So that’s what I’m doing and what I’ll be doing. _Nothing_.”

"God, you’re a walking plague." Danny exclaims.

"It’s not  _my_  fault.” Steve frowns.

Danny sighs internally. 

"I like her, you know, like a friend or a little sister." Steve’s frown deepens. "It’s not my fault that I don’t have feelings for her."

"I know it’s not, babe. Of course it’s not your fault. And I’m not blaming you for not liking her back. I was simply pointing out how unfair it is that you’re like a hot babe magnet. You remember the witness from yesterday? He was practically drooling on you. And he was more GQ than you, I must say. One more proof other than Lori and Catherine." Danny feels like he’s soothing a confused puppy.

"I am? You think so? A hot babe magnet?" Steve’s mood considerably improves in a blink. He steps on the gas and the Camaro swiftly glides forward.

"Uh…"

Steve’s smile right now can light up the entire Waikiki beach night sky. Danny wants to eat his own tongue. After all these years, he still constantly forgets that there’s a wolf behind those stupid puppy eyes.

"That was not a compliment." Danny firmly states.

"Sure, Danno." Steve grins.

 

 

They’re pulling up to the parking lot across from the restaurant when Steve breaks the silence.

"I do sense people having feelings for me, you know. I don’t say anything or do anything mostly because I never know for certain if I’m imagining those feelings. And that I've been wrong before. It did not end pretty." Steve confesses.

Danny’s heart skips a beat.

"Sometimes I thought I had to end the other person’s feelings before it got out of hand and I made a move; Sometimes I thought the feelings were mutual and I made a move. Neither had often ended up well. So I've learned not to react to those feelings I can’t return." Steve peeks at Danny. "As for the later, I've learned to only make a move unless I’m 100% sure the feelings are mutual."

Danny stays very, very still.

Steve slides out of the car after a moment of strained silence.

Danny still doesn't move a muscle. He feels like he will crumble to pieces if he does.

"Come on, Danny. They’re waiting." Steve calls from outside the car, his tone light.

Danny climbs out, leaves all the bitter tension in the car.

 

 

They don’t talk about the little confession. They go back to the usual bickering. But the air has shifted. And it eats at Danny.

He can’t figure out what Steve means by what he said.

He’s not even sure what his feelings are for Steve.

He did have a thing for the stupidly handsome man a while back. He hates to psych-analyze himself, but he’s 57% positive that he either ran away from those feelings by turning to Rachel or simply transferred them all on her. Either way, that didn't end well, and he was once again heart broken.

And then he meets Gabby. Those feelings find another outlet. But he pushes her away.

And then he meets Amber. He takes her in like Steve advises.

 _Great,_ Danny realizes, _I’m one step away from turning into a pining teenager._

He doesn’t know if anyone has noticed. Whenever he gets the chance to be close to Steve, he lingers; Whenever he looks into Steve’s eyes, his whole body relaxes.

Even if Steve is not a “hot babe magnet”, he’s definitely a gigantic super magnet to Danny. Danny constantly feels the pull. And he fights every second to keep distance. Because it’s not like that for Steve. It’s  _not_.

Steve’s little speech digs up everything Danny tries so hard to hide. Danny is not sure about anything anymore.

Did Steve say those things because he wanted Danny to quit it? Or he did so to hint Danny to make a move?

Why did Danny have to bring up the subject at all? Now it has backfired on him. He wants to shoot himself.

Steve can go to hell and leave Danny and his misery alone. Maybe he’ll call Lori. Pain shared is pain halved, right?

 

 

Danny doesn’t get shot like he secretly wished for a second. Lori does.

Lori and Danny went to talk to a witness. As it turned out, the witness was actually the perp. And she shot two bullets into Lori’s torso when she waited at the perp’s front door while Danny went around to the back to check if anyone was inside.

They rush her to the hospital. Danny’s hands press down on the bullet holes while the EMT works on everything else.

Danny can still feel the anger, panic and guilt rushed to his head the moment he heard the gunshots.

He shoos the nurses away and waits for the others to arrive.

As soon as Steve runs through the ER door, he grabs Danny and check if he’s okay, hands all over him.

Danny buries the tinge of pleasure of being the center and top priority of Steve’s concerns and attention.

He doesn't deserve it. Lori does.

Lori doesn't deserve to be shot. Danny does.

The team sit in the waiting room while Lori is in the surgery. Her supervisor in HSD comes by to check on her. Even the Governor drops by.

One bullet tears through her lower abdomen, the doctor warns she might not be able to carry a child in her womb after this. They’re trying to save whatever they can.

One bullet cracks one of her ribs. Her lung doesn't look good. They’re doing everything they can.

Her head hits a small but sharp rock when she falls from the front porch. They’re checking her brain for any possible outcome.

Every time an update comes out of the OR, Danny’s heart sinks some more.

Now Danny really wants to shoot himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lori gets shot and is sent into surgery. I promise she'll be okay!


	2. Upon Your Sleeve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is an emptiness in Steve's soul.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s Steve’s POV this time. The next part should be the last part!
> 
> Again, THANKS SO MUCH FOR MY AMAZING BETA torchwood1701 <3

There are very few people who leave holes in Steve’s heart. Mom was the first, Freddie was the second, and then it was Dad.

They’re not the only people he has lost. But they are the ones that had torn out a part of his heart when they left. And the emptiness remains, no matter what he does. Even with the one that comes back to him.

He tries not to think about the ones that may follow. He cannot bear to lose any one of them anymore.

Then one day, someone breaks the pattern and leaves a 5’5” human-shaped hole in his soul by hanging around almost everyday.

Oddly enough, when he thought he almost lost Mary, when he learned that he was going to lose Aunt Deb, the human-shaped hole somehow managed to stop him from digging deeper and fill up the other holes.

It even fills up the old ones.

Steve doesn't know what to think. He has never met someone who gets under his skin and  _crawls_  the way Danny does.

Freddie is probably the closest thing he has to what Danny may be. Or Cath.

Steve entertains the thought of whether or not Freddie and him would be friends with benefits if Kelly wasn't in the picture, only for a minute.

He never thinks about what Danny means to him too hard. He’s afraid he may not like the answer.

In fact, if he’s being totally honest with himself, he knows he is going to hate that answer. And that’s why he buried that thought the first time it almost surface.

What he and Cath have is good, nothing is gonna change that.

 

 

When HPD alerts Steve that there has been a shooting at the witness-slash-perp's house, he calls Chin and Kono as he runs to his truck.

And when he gets the call from the hospital, he starts to panic. Are Lori and Danny both so badly injured that neither of them can talk to him themselves?

The nurse on the other end doesn't have more information besides that the ambulance has pulled in a minute ago and his head nurse has asked him to inform Five-Oh ASAP.

Steve changes his course and heads to HMC. He turns on the siren and runs every red light, passes every vehicle that is moving slower than 50 miles per hour. He pulls up to the hospital lot with a loud screech and parks his truck at the closest spot to the ER entrance, not caring how many spaces it occupies. He scrambles out of the truck and sprints through the ER double door. As soon as he sees a blood soaked Danny, he grabs the blond and checks if he’s in one good piece.

“Steve, slow down. It’s not my blood, it’s Lori's. She’s in surgery now.”

Danny sounds so exhausted. Steve wants to hold him and kiss the top of his head while assuring him that it’s going to be okay. But it’s not his place.

“What do we know? Is she gonna make it?” Steve feels like he’s going to be sick. If all the blood on Danny comes from Lori’s tiny body…

“Hey, hey, hey. It's not as bad as it looks, okay? She's gonna pull through.”

Despite Danny's comforting words, his expression is not fooling anyone. Steve’s stomach sinks. But there’s nothing he can do to help, so he sits down next to Danny and waits.

 

 

Steve kind of wants to strangle himself for bursting out all that crap the other night.

Danny has been acting a little different ever since. And Steve doesn't like it.

Steve doesn't even know why he said all those stuff.

He has been…having a thing with Cath for quite some time now. It wasn't exclusive four years ago, but it slowly grows into a steady…thing. When Danny half-joked, half-scolded about how Steve is incapable of admitting that Cath is his girlfriend, his heart clenched. It still tightens every time he thinks about Danny’s words and expressions that day. He blew the question off then. He knows why he can’t say the g-word out loud. He’s afraid of commitment. Plus, how can he be honest with Danny when the blond is part of the reason why?

He sometimes wonders how things would be if Dad was still alive.

He would keep having an on and off thing with Cath until it slowly falls apart because they both suck at relationships. He would not have reconciled with Mary. Mom would still be “dead”. 

He would have never met Danny.

Everything used to be so simple and clear.

Steve hates complicated and messy.

He likes everything organized and straightforward.

 

 

"Commander McGarrett? Officer Weston can take visitors now." A nurse comes in the waiting room and taps on his shoulder.

Steve startles out of his thoughts and follows, with Danny right behind him. Chin and Kono went home around midnight. Steve fishes out his phone and texts them.

"She needs to rest soon. You have ten minutes." The nurse tells them and walks over to the station.

"Hey, kiddo. How are you feeling?" Danny walks in first, softly asks.   
Danny’s tone alone nearly break Steve’s heart. 

"Welcome back, Lori. Kono and Chin are on their way." Steve walks up to her. 

She blinks a few times. “Danny?”

"Yeah, kiddo. You need some water?" Danny motions Steve to fetch some water. "You scared a few years off my already-shortened-by-certain-SEAL’s-driving-skill years. Don’t ever do that to me again, you hear me?"

"Better me than your old ass, Danno." Lori smiles weakly. "Right?"

"Oh.  _Oh._  That’s good. Very nice, young lady.” Danny’s mouth quirks up. 

Steve couldn't help but smile at the sight. “Here you go. Don’t drink too fast, one sip at a time.” He hands a glass of water to Lori. 

"Yes, boss." Lori obediently sips on. 

"This is unbelievable and unfair. How come you get to be called ‘boss’ when I’m always the one doing boss stuff? Like making you guys behave or finishing up the paper work or talking to the press?" Danny exasperatedly asks. 

"No. I think we call you boss, too." Lori smiles.

"No, you don’t." Danny huffs.

"I think they do, Danno. Do you need us to record it the next time anyone says it?"  Steve offers.

Danny stares at Steve, and then Lori. He finally gives up. “Fine. You do. Not like I stand any chance if the two of you gang up on me.”

"We should record it for him, boss."

"I think you’re right, Officer Weston."

They both smile innocently at Danny.

Danny holds up his hands and sighs. He looks irritated.

And it makes all of Steve’s messy thoughts fade a little.


	3. Dig Them Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They are flawed. They're not perfect. Hand in hand, they create a wonderful mess together.  
> Or, in which they make a mess and somehow are able to turn it into something good in the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much again for my wonderful beta Ashley <333  
> (I've whined so much during this chapter lol)
> 
> Chapter warning: potty mouth, slight angst, implied sex, attempts at humor, canon het relationships, and previous chapters warnings applies as well

Danny loves Catherine, he really does.

She’s smart, caring, beautiful, elegant and, well, hot. Plus she knows her way around guns, fights like a ninja, and she can make Steve behave with a single look, when she really means it, that is. Which, in Danny’s humble opinion, is a very appreciated and much needed witchcraft.

But he can’t seem to eliminate the ugly feelings when he sees her with Steve or when Steve talks about her.

_I deserve him._

_He should’ve picked me._

_Get a room, it’s disgusting._

_I need him more than you do._

_He needs me more than he needs you._

Danny is very glad that she can’t hear his thoughts.

He really loves Lori, too. From the moment he sets eyes on her.

She’s clever, sweet, stunning, and also hot. Her big, innocent eyes makes him wants to protect her from the ugly world.

But he can’t get rid of the nasty feelings he has when he sees Lori looking at Steve or talking with him.

_I’m better than you._

_He would never pick you._

_It’s so obvious that it’s just sad._

_She should quit before it gets ugly._

_You can try, you can dream, kiddo. But you’ll never have him._

It is not the world Lori needs protection from. It is Danny.

And it feels like he’s talking to himself. It’s really bad for his mental health. But he can’t stop.

Danny goes over a mental list of people around him.

  * Amber makes him happy.
  * His team makes him happy, although he’ll never tell them.
  * Grace makes him very happy.
  * Steve makes him miserable.



It’s quite obvious what Danny should do. He needs to shut those stupid, teenage feelings down and toss them into the Pacific.

 

※

 

Steve loves Catherine, he really does.

He loves her like a family, a friend, a comrade, and…a lover.

He was madly in love with her a few years ago, when he couldn't have her.

That crush dials down a few notch since then. But his feelings are still pretty strong.

So what is the problem?

_Danny_.

Who, is the new problem to everything in Steve’s life.

Danny is the one who gets upset if Steve leaves for an op and doesn't tell anyone for  _safety reasons_.

Catherine is used to Steve disappearing. She gets concerned, not upset. It’s probably his own fault.

Danny is the one that makes Steve wants to stay—scratch that. Danny is the one that  _has_  made Steve stayed in the same place for over three years.

That is a record since he graduated the Academy. Even when he was in the Naval Intel, he was mobile.

Catherine is only settling down herself now. Let alone making Steve wants to stay put.

Steve goes over all the annoying things in his life right now.

Danny’s the cause of them all.

Who, also seems to be the only solution to everything in Steve’s life.

 

※

 

The team decides to go to Lori’s place and play Cards Against Humanity on Sunday.

Danny has no idea what that game is. Kono is the one who suggested the whole thing with an innocent look on her face. And she said to Danny, “Don’t bring Grace though. It’s inappropriate for her age.”

Grace’s usual babysitter is sick. So Danny stays home until their babysitter’s friend comes. When he gets to Lori’s apartment, the party is almost over. Lori and Chin are watching TV, only Kono, Steve, and Catherine are still playing.

Danny joins the next round. He draws ten White Cards like Kono instructed. He arranges his cards:

  1. _Sexual tension._
  2. _Surf ninjas._
  3. _Taking someone by the shoulders, throwing them on the bed and riding them like a stallion._
  4. _Heteronormativity._
  5. _Unfathomable stupidity._
  6. _Concealing a boner._
  7. _A sad handjob._
  8. _My sex life._
  9. _Poor life choices._
  10. _Doing the right thing._



He feels like the cards are trying to tell him something.

He hates this game already.

"Okay. Now the Card Czar, which is Steve in this round, will play a Black Card. And the rest of us should pick out one or more White Cards to answer the question or fill in the blanks on the black one. We pass the white card, face down, to the Czar. And the Czar will shuffle the cards and pick the winner." Kono explains.

"How do we know who passes which cards if the Czar shuffles them?" Danny asks.

"You own up to your cards, Danno. One point for each win." Steve answers.

"Alright, got it. Play your Black Card, Card Czar." Danny says.

Steve smiles, pulls the card on the top of the deck and reads it aloud. “The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History has just opened an exhibit on… _blank_.”

Danny considers for a second and throws in one card.

Steve gathers three cards and shuffles like he’s a pro poker dealer. He looks at the cards and grins, “Aaaaaaaand the winner is…’My sex life.’” 

"Ah, that would be me." Danny raises his hand.

"I’d totally go to that exhibit." Kono smirks.

"Hmm. If it’s Steve’s then I’ll murder anyone who walks near my section. But if it’s Danny’s, then me too." Catherine agrees with a mischievous smile on her face.

Steve bursts out laughing.

"Rachel will torture and murder every one of you." Danny rolls his eyes and prays that no one sees him blushing.

"Oh, and we’re doing a new thing. No new cards until we’re out. And Steve will be the Czar until then." Kono casually adds.

"You tell me that now?" Danny exasperatedly questions.

"I won ten rounds in a roll before you came. I deserve it." Steve gloats.

"Fine. You jerks."

Steve pulls another Black Card. “Coming to Broadway this season,  _blank_ , _colon_ , The Musical.”

The three of them quickly pass their cards to Steve. He collects, shuffles, looking at the cards and…

He’s laughing so hard his whole body is shaking.

"What? What?" Kono eagerly nudges him.

Steve pulls out one card and head-plants on the table, shoulders twitching.

Kono picks up the card and reads, “Concealing a bo—OHMYFUCKINGGOD!” She starts to laugh hysterically.

"Wow, Danny." Catherine smiles. "Really?"

"What?" Danny snorts despite himself.

"Oh god, I have the perfect song for this musical." Steve raises his head. "I watched Frozen for like the fifth time with Gracie yesterday…" He pauses to laugh some more. "For the First Time…"

"Ohhhhhhhhhh…" Catherine’s smile turns into a evil grin and begins to sing. "For the first time in forever, I have to hide my own boner."

"Oh my fucking god, Catherine Rollins." Danny yelps.

"Don’t let them in, don’t let them see. Be the good boy you always meant to be." She continues.

"Conceal, don’t feel, put on a show…" Kono takes over.

"Make one wrong move and everyone will know." Steve finishes.

"You all are hopeless,  _hopeless_.”

Danny is amazed by their abilities to sing and laugh at the same time. But he can’t help but laughs with them wholeheartedly.

 

※

 

"Hey, Steve. My car won’t start. Could you give me a ride?" Danny comes around Steve’s Silverado when the gang is all heading home.

"Lemme look at it." Steve instinctively wants to fix it.

"No, it’s too late. I’ll deal with it tomorrow. Plus, I don’t trust your skill." Danny makes a show of yawning.

"You don’t trust my skill? That’s insulting." Steve walks to his truck.

"May I remind you that time we had to push your Mercury Marquis for miles?" Danny looks like he’s about to have a seizure.

"You’re over-reacting." Steve slides up into the truck. "Are you coming or what?"

"You…Yes, of course." Danny climbs into the passenger seat. "Oh, and we need to talk."

Steve wants to fly out of his truck through the window. “Uh…”

"What? A SEAL can’t handle some harmless talking?" Danny teases as he puts on the seat belt.

Steve chooses to shut his mouth.

Danny glares at him for a second before he continues. “I’ve given your little speech the other night a lot of thought.”

"What speech?" Steve asks as he pulls out of Lori’s building.

"You know what speech." Danny shoots him another glare. "And I’m still not sure what you meant by all those things you kindly shared with me. So I’ve decided, although against my better judgment, to ask you to explain."

"Seriously, Danny. I don’t know what you’re talking about." Steve can guess, but he’d rather not.

Danny sighs, “You said something about ‘feelings’ and ‘moves’, remember?”

_Shit, here it comes._  “Uh, yeah? What about it?”

"Were you simply sharing with me, or were you trying to tell me something?" Danny pauses. "And before you answer that, I want you to think about your answer very carefully and thoroughly, Steve."

"Are you?" Steve asks back.

"Huh? Am I what?" Danny sounds confused.

"Are you asking simply because you’re curious or because you’re trying to get something out of me?" Steve explains.

Danny doesn’t answer.

"Are you trying to tell me something, Danny?" Steve presses.

"Fuck you." Danny blurts out. "Do not go all interrogation master on me. You smart ass. Just answer the fucking question."

Steve considers his options. “Fine, here’s your answer. I wasn’t intended on any subtext when I was saying all those things. It was…I was…it just happened, okay?”

"It just  _happened_?” Danny doesn’t sound pleased at all.

"I don’t know why I said those things! And why do you care so much about this. It’s none of your business how I ‘feel’ or ‘move’." Steve feels like he has been cornered. He hates it, so he pushes back,  _hard_.

"You’re such a dick!" Danny yells.

"I’m not a dick. I have a dick though. You need proof?" Steve knows he’s too old to act like this but he can’t help it.

Danny shuts his mouth so hard, Steve can hear his teeth clinks.

Steve feels like he’s suffocating in the truck even though the windows are down.

Danny takes a few audibly deep breath and opens his mouth. “I,  _I_ , have feelings for you.”

Steve’s hands almost slip. He grabs the wheels tight and tries to think of what to say.

"That was your cue to say something back, you dumb ass." Danny sighs. "You really are a caveman. I basically poured my heart out and you can’t even respond?"

"You dropped a grenade on me, Danny. I think I deserve a few moments to think about it." Steve uses his most familiar tactic, evade and shoots back.

"You just can’t help it, can you?" Danny says. "Could you act like a human being and respond to my big revelation?"

Despite Danny’s calm demeanor, Steve can see his pose is more tensed than usual. Guilt creeps up on him.

"I just…I don’t know what to say, Danny." Steve mumbles.

"You could let me know if it’s mutual, you know? I’m not asking you to fuck me right now. I’m simply asking if you feel the same way. And then we can both move on." Danny patiently responds.

"I…I guess I kinda do." Steve feels more terrified in this moment than any mission he has ever been.

"You  _kinda_  do? What does that even mean?” Danny’s volume goes up.

"It  _means_ , I am not sure!” Steve thinks for a second. “I may have some feelings for you but I don’t know what they are. And I’ve got Catherine and I don’t know. Okay? I don’t know…fuck.”

"Yes, we’re fucked." Danny sighs again. "I feel like the biggest jerk saying this but, I am going to break up with Amber sooner or later. Yes, we’re good together. Yes, I let her in. Yes, Grace likes her. But you,  _you_ , my friend, is a thorn in my ass that keeps popping up and reminding me how ugly I am inside.”

"That sounds so dirty." Steve can’t help but grins.

"You’re an animal." Danny weakly retorts.

"I’m ugly inside, too." Steve quietly says. "I hold on to Catherine because it’s comfortable. And it’s something I’ve wanted so badly for  _years_. Now that I finally have it, how can I let it go?”

"Let…" Danny whispers.

"Are you thinking of that song, Danno?" Steve jokingly asks.

"Fuck you. You can’t even stay serious about this for more than one minute." Danny yells back.

"That’s because…" Steve takes a deep breath. "I am scared. I am so fucking scared. I can’t ask you to do something when I’m not even sure what I want you to do and/or why I want you to do it."

"And/or?" Danny sounds so smug.

Steve rolls his eyes.

"Steve, I am scared, too. Do you think I’m not? I’ve got a daughter from a failed marriage for fuck’s sake. I’m  _terrified_.” Danny sounds like he’s cooing a wild animal. “I’ve got a ton to lose, you’ve got a ton of abandonment issues. We’re a pair made in hell.”

Steve pulls into Danny’s driveway. “I gotta call Cath.”

"Huh? What? Why?" Danny dumbly asks.

"I don’t cheat. I need to break up with her so you can invite me to stay." Steve has made a decision and he’s going to execute it before he or Danny gets cold feet.

He just can’t lie to everyone else and himself anymore.

It’s Danny’s turn to be at a loss of words. He stares wide eyes at Steve. 

"Shark got your tongue?" Steve smirks.

"You asshole." Danny retorts on instinct.

"You’ve been calling me names that makes me horny all night." Steve widens his smirk into a evil, toothy grin. But it falls after a split second, "You go inside first, give me a minute."

"Yeah, yeah." Danny opens his side of the door and steps outside. "I gotta call Amber, too."

 

※

 

Danny pays the substitute babysitter, checks if Grace is actually asleep (she has sneaked a flashlight and a book in bed one too many times), changes into a loose T-shirt and shorts, cleans up the kitchen, picks up the living room……He calls Amber.

Danny blurts out everything on his mind. Amber listens. When Danny stops, she calmly says, “Fuck you, Danny.” And then she hangs up.

He sits down on the couch, looks at the truck outside.

Steve is shifting between his feet, then pacing, and then he halts. He nods slowly a few times, looks up.

Their eyes meet. Danny looks away and turns on the TV.

Steve looks crushed.

So much for those horny thoughts.

Danny is about to take a shower when Steve opens the door.

"Hey…" Danny is hesitant to ask anything. It will either sounds too inconsiderate or cruel.

"Hey." Steve throws himself into the armchair. "So, she said she was gonna break up with me anyway." Steve laughs dryly. "Which is a lie because I saw her looking at couples retreat earlier. She’s even nice to me when I’m being an asshole to her."

"She’s trying to salvage her dignity, Steve. Not comforting you." Danny quietly says.

Steve looks up. Danny keeps his eyes on the TV.

"Danny, stop avoiding eye-contact. We knew we were gonna hurt them."

"I know. But still…"

"I know." Steve sighs. "We’ve been sighing way too much tonight."

Danny sighs at that. Steve sits up and reaches for his hand.

"Danny, look at me." Danny complies. "We were not being fair to them by staying with them. This is the right thing to do."

"Are you trying to convince me or yourself?" Danny can’t help but sighs one more time. 

"Probably both." Steve murmurs and then he lights up. "Are you gonna invite me to stay?"

"That’s  _very_  smooth, Smooth Dog.” Danny rolls his eyes. “But I am going to. Because I think Amber will come and kill me when I’m asleep tonight. And you’re going to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

"We can’t have that." Steve nods solemnly.

 

———

 

“ _For the first time in forever_ …”

"Oh god."

"What, Danno?"

"Grace is singing that damn song in the shower……Wipe that smirk off, you immature animal!"

"Have we tried that Olaf tongue-hands combo yet? I don’t think we have."

"I don’t even want to kn—ffffffuck."

"You like that?"

"Put your mouth back where it was two seconds ago…fu……"


End file.
